Hyde denies Pham’s ‘ridiculous’ claim
Rays outfielder contends Orioles’ dugout cheered up-and-in pitches Monday
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has more than a decade of familiarity with Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Tommy Pham, having managed against him in the Florida State League in 2008 and seen him regularly as a coach for the Chicago Cubs while Pham played for the rival St. Louis Cardinals. But he found it “ridiculous” that Pham claimed that the Orioles’ dugout cheered a couple of up-andin pitches that rookie reliever Dillon Tate threw to him during a 10th-inning at-bat that ended in Pham hitting a walk-off single to end Monday’s game.
During an interview on the field after the game, Pham told Fox Sports Florida & Sun, “First pitch, he threw it at my head. After that, I wanted to just kill him.”
Pham, who was also hit in the right knee by reliever Tanner Scott in the eighth inning, added to that comment after the game, claiming the Orioles’ dugout celebrated the high-and-tight fastballs Tate threw earlier in the at-bat.
“I’m more frustrated with their dugout hollering after the pitches that were thrown,” Pham told reporters. “… It was like they were cheering him on, that he was buzzing me up and in. But success is revenge, and I got the game-winning hit for us.
Hyde said Tuesday that Pham’s comments surprised him because the Orioles have been a quiet team throughout the season. He also compared Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field to a minor league venue in terms of volume, saying he would’ve been able to hear if any of his players had said anything.
“I’ve never heard one of our guys all year,” Hyde said. “This is one of the quietest groups in the world, and we’re in a place that’s like playing in the Florida State League where you can hear the lights buzz, so you’re going to be able to hear everything. I didn’t hear anything. So I think the whole thing, that it’s even a story is pretty ridiculous.”
Tate was making his sixth major league appearance and only the second in which he entered with the Orioles not trailing by at least four runs. Hyde called it “common sense” that Tate wouldn’t intentionally be trying to hit Pham in the10th inning of a tied game.
“I have a ton of appreciation for a guy not feeling good about a ball being up and in,” Hyde said. “I’ve been hit in the head. I’ve been hit in the face. It’s not a good feeling. However, common sense would kind of tell you that Dillon Tate’s on the mound trying to get through a major league inning. He’s throwing in a tie game in the 10th inning, and the last thing he’s trying to do is hit anybody.
“It’s a fastball that went in. … It’s pretty ridiculous.”
Tate said he doesn’t have social media or watch television, so he didn’t learn of Pham’s claims until he arrived at the ballpark Tuesday and heard about them from teammates. He also denied any intent of trying to hit Pham.
“I’ve never tried to hit anybody before,” Tate said. “But all I can really say is I’m not going to take shots at another man through camera or interview like that. That’s all I really have on that.”
Asked if he would instead try to meet Pham privately instead of going back and forth through the media, Tate said it was unlikely.
“If it ends up happening, sure, we’ll talk about it, but as of right now, no,” Tate said. “Just playing baseball really. Just having fun.”
Hyde said he appreciates Tate attempting to throw inside in that situation, something Orioles pitchers have routinely struggled to do, but that he would prefer such pitches not be as high as the ones to Pham. Baltimore entered Tuesday’s doubleheader having allowed a major league record 268 home runs while having a league-worst 5.77 ERA as a staff.
“Listen, I’ve been trying to have our guys pitch inside all year,” Hyde said. “I think it’s pretty well reported about the home runs we give up and what our pitching numbers look like. For guys to be able to sit out over the plate on us all year long has been frustrating, so to be able to have guys even just try to locate the ball in or throw the ball off the plate in to try to open up the plate away for them, I think that that’s pitching.”